Explore Ancient Egypt with these captivating books
With the arrival of the Pharaoh exhibit at the NGV, with fun activities and kids-themed facts spread throughout, there’s no better time for your child to fully indulge in the magic and mystery of Ancient Egypt. This range of stories, activity books, myths and history books has something perfect for all ages, so you can reignite your own curiosity, too!
No matter how you developed your interest in Ancient Egypt – whether it was through watching Dreamwork’s Prince of Egypt, the sizzling romance between Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in The Mummy, or the more recent Moon Knight – all children, teenagers, and adults will find something from this list to fascinate and entertain.
Mythology & History
Egyptian Myths: Meet the Gods, Goddesses, and Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt by Jean Menzies & Katie Ponder (illus.)
A beautifully illustrated collection of more than 30 ancient Egyptian myths retold for children. Delve into a world of strange creatures, magical powers, and warring gods in this thrilling compendium of ancient Egyptian stories.
From the creation of the world, to the pharaohs chosen by the gods, these stories chart the full sweep of ancient Egyptian mythology, revealing fascinating elements of culture and religion along the way. Meet mighty gods and wicked villains, and prepare for tales of heroic triumphs and heart-breaking tragedy. Learn how the sun god Ra wielded power over Earth, how trouble-making Set brought chaos to the kingdom, and how Osiris, Isis, and Horus became revered by their people.
Be a Scribe! by Michael Hoffen, Christian Casey & Jen Thum
An immersive story of daily life in ancient Egypt.
Sail up the Nile with an ancient Egyptian father and son and discover what daily life was like along the way. Experience the wonderful world of ancient Egypt with the help of countless artefacts and paintings. Delight in four-thousand-year-old humour and immerse yourself in the choices facing a teenage boy in Egypt then.
The Unofficial Guide to the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife by Bastet the Cat, Sophie Berger & Laura Winstone (illus.)
Bastet is a mummified cat who is here to take you on a journey through the mystical death rituals of Ancient Egypt. Starting with some routine disembowelment and mummification, she explains about the role of the coffins, the separation of your soul, the importance of amulets and the various types of Egyptian tombs. Together, you will cross the river Styx and face the gods in one final judgement – the weighing of the heart. Bastet will make sure you have everything you need in the afterlife, because, it turns out, you can take it with you, after all!
Picture books and activity books
Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd-Stanton
Many years have passed since the events of Arthur and the Golden Rope and Arthur is now a world-famous adventurer. If only his daughter Marcy shared his enthusiasm for exploration . . .
Determined to bring out Marcy’s adventurous side, Arthur sets off to Egypt to bring back the legendary Book of Thoth. When Arthur doesn’t return, Marcy must follow in his footsteps. Can she overcome her fears and rescue her father from the clutches of the Great Sphinx?
The Curse of the Tomb Robbers by Andy Seed & James Weston Lewis (illus.)
When ancient Egyptian friends, Nub and Iteti, overhear a gang of tomb robbers plotting to raid Queen Neith’s tomb, they set off on a quest to stop them. But there are lots of clues and puzzles to solve along the way, from a suspicious list of hieroglyphic words found in the marketplace to a confusing maze across the River Nile. Will they get there in time to stop the robbers unleashing a terrible curse? And who was behind the evil plot all along?
Classics
Egyptology by Dugald Steer
With a stunning gold foiled and embossed cover featuring three ‘jewels’, and with its creation overseen by TGH James, ex keeper of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum, Egyptology is the lavish scrapbook journal of a lost expeditionfrom 1926. Full of novelties and recreations, such as a piece of mummy cloth, a booklet on hieroglyphs and a working board game, the book brims with beautiful art and fascinating facts about Ancient Egypt.
Asterix and Cleopatra by Rene Goscinny & Albert Uderzo (illus.)
Set in 50 BC, these hysterical historical tales follow the adventures of Asterix and his pals in the days of the Roman Empire.
To impress Julius Caesar, Queen Cleopatra promises to build the Roman Emperor a magnificent palace in just three months. Of course, Asterix has to get involved. By the time his feisty group from Gaul have finished, they’ve outwitted the Roman army, too.
Cigars of the Pharaoh by Hergé
Hergé’s classic comic book creation, Tintin, is one of the most recognisable characters in children’s books.
Join Tintin as he scours Egypt and India, on the hunt for an Egyptologist and a mysterious ancient pharaoh. He makes friends with elephants, narrowly avoids falling victim to the poison of madness and saves a maharajah from a killer tiger.
Middle Fiction (for ages 8-12)
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Carter and Sadie Kane’s dad is a brilliant Egyptologist with a secret plan that goes horribly wrong. An explosion shatters the ancient Rosetta stone and unleashes Set, the evil god of chaos . . .
Set imprisons Dr Kane in a golden coffin and Carter and Sadie must embark on a terrifying quest from Cairo to Paris to the American South-west and discover the truth about their family’s connection to the House of Life: an Egyptian temple of magic that has existed for thousands of years.
The pharaohs of ancient Egypt are far from dead and buried. And so, unfortunately, are their gods . . .
The Mummy’s Curse by M. A. Bennett
The adventures of the time-travelling Butterfly Club continue . . .
Luna, Konstantin and Aidan travel to Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 1922 where an Egyptologist called Harold Carter is about to discover Tutankhamun’s mummy. The time thieves have twenty-four hours to find out where Carter plans to dig and get to Tutankhamun first. But they find themselves grappling with the uncertainty of a world poised between two world wars, and all the while a curse that they created seems to be taking on a life of its own . . .
For teens and adults
What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez
In 19th century Buenos Aires, Inez yearns for her parents as they travel to Egypt without her. When she receives a letter saying that her parents have gone missing and are presumed dead, she has no hesitation in boarding the first ship to Egypt.
Upon arriving, she is met by her uncle, who is adamant she be sent back home, as well as a crew of archaeologists, British ambassadors and her uncle’s assistant, who possesses a devilish charm and secrets of his own. They're all on the hunt to unearth the greatest Egyptian mystery of all: the missing tomb of Cleopatra, the last pharaoh.
When Inez begins to see visions of Cleopatra, and finds past memories trapped in objects by the touch of magic, she pieces together the clues of her parents’ demise. She also learns that some people are, like the River Nile, glittering and beautiful on the surface, but hiding monsters lurking beneath.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Cairo, 1912 – but a different Cairo to the one we know. Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, but she’s certainly not a rookie. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case.
Al-Jahiz transformed the world fifty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be Al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo and soon Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems . . .
